Fresh Air Fund seeks families for summer fun
By Julia Cho Contributing Writer

(l to r) Frances Palmer, Doug Weaver, Matt Palmer, all of Northborough, and Duron Simons of Brooklyn enjoy a day of summer fun at the beach. Simons stayed with the Palmer family last summer as part of the Fresh Air Fund Friendly Town project. PHOTO/EILEEN PALMER

Region - Although snow, ice and freezing temperatures are here now, longer days and summer camp brochures arriving in the mail are sure signs that warmer days will soon be upon us. Eileen Palmer, co-chair of the Fresh Air Fund in the Northborough area, already has her mind on summer trips to amusement parks, drivein theaters and picnics at the beach.

Palmer, along with co-chair Anna Doiron and Fund Representative Janet Foley, are looking to recruit host families for the Fresh Air Fund for this summer. The Fresh Air Fund spans from Virginia through New England and north into Canada, with towns grouped together under the term "Friendly Town." The Northborough Friendly Town covers Northborough, Shrewsbury, Westborough, Berlin and Bolton.

Since 1877, the Fresh Air Fund has given over 1.7 million children the opportunity to spend time in suburban and rural areas, away from crowded city life. The Friendly Town Program places an individual child with a family, "matched up much like a dating service," Palmer said.

The child can stay for either one or two weeks, whichever fits better into the host family's schedule. This summer there are two one-week programs, from July 23 to 30 and Aug. 15 to 22. The two-week program is from July 16 to 30.

"[The week in] August is new this year," Palmer said, because there are more kids signed up.

Palmer hopes that the extra week will bring in some new host families.

"We have an abundance of kids that are ready to come out to the country this year," she said, "[so] we really need to get the word out this year to see if we can get more host families."

The Fresh Air Fund looks for and welcomes host families from all diff erent backgrounds.

"You don't need a large house and a swimming pool … All kinds of people make for good host families," Palmer said.

Families are first phone screened, then interviewed in person. A background check, CORI form and a good driving record are also needed.

Host families are also welcome to participate in any of the events that Palmer and Doiron have lined up for this summer: a trip to Water Country, a night at the Mendon Drive-In movie theater, an outing to Memorial Beach in Marlborough, and a baseball night at a Worcester Tornadoes game. People can choose to participate in any of the events, or none of them, if they wish.

"Some people choose to take the child and go to the Cape or go hiking for a week," she said. "It's up to the family; it's a very flexible program."

It's also a program that enriches life for both the child and the host family.

"You bring the child into your home and treat them like they are one of your own," Palmer said. "… They follow the family rules and they really become part of your family."

For more information about becoming a host family or to help with the program in any way, contact either Eileen Palmer at 508-393-4759 or Anna Doiron at 508-393-2021. For more information about the Fresh Air Fund, go to www. freshair.org.